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Southeastern Regional Vice-President Candidate

Candidate(uncontested)

Merry Sleigh, PhDWinthrop University (SC)

Position StatementI am currently finishing my second year as the Southeastern Vice-President and would be honored to be elected for another term. It has been a tremendous privilege to have a "behind the scenes” look at all of the administrative efforts that make our organization a success, and I have tried to contribute to those efforts as much as possible. In addition to representing our region on the Board of Directors, I serve as the chair of the Awards Committee, recruiting reviewers and assisting with award decisions. I have been working closely with the Central Office to clarify award criteria to help make award application a more clear and manageable process; we want to do everything possible to facilitate and recognize the outstanding work that is being accomplished. As a member of the Internal Affairs Committee, I helped create our new, streamlined chapter annual report. I’ve also enjoyed developing programming geared toward member interests for the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) convention, including new events such as our Diversity Quiz Bowl. I worked closely with the Committee on Equality of Professional Opportunity (CEPO) to convert our undergraduate research submissions for SEPA to an online system which will eventually enable us to provide quicker feedback to applicants. The best part of the job, however, has been getting to know officers and advisors across the southeast. I have a deep respect for all that you do, and I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to continue serving you and our region.

Biographical StatementDr. Sleigh became involved with Psi Chi as an undergraduate, serving as treasurer at James Madison University. She completed her PhD at Virginia Tech and a post-doc at Indiana University in developmental psychobiology. She was the Psi Chi faculty advisor at George Mason University for six years, where she received a 2000 Teaching Excellence Award and the 2003 Southeastern Region Faculty Advisor Award. Dr. Sleigh is currently an associate professor and director of Undergraduate Research for the College of Arts and Sciences at Winthrop University (WU). She spends much of her time mentoring undergraduate researchers and is an associate editor for the Journal of Psychological Inquiry, a publication outlet for undergraduates. She served as the WU Psi Chi faculty advisor for eight years, during which time the chapter received eight Model Chapter Awards and the 2008 Southeastern Regional Chapter Award. Dr. Sleigh served on Psi Chi’s regional steering committee and numerous award committees, as well as reviewed submissions for the Psi Chi/CEPO section of the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) conference. Dr. Sleigh also has written several articles for Eye on Psi Chi and the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research. She received the 2010 Southeastern Region Faculty Advisor Award, and in 2011 received the SEPA Mentor Award, the Psi Chi/ Florence Denmark Advisor Award, and the Kinard Excellence in Teaching Award. Dr. Sleigh is currently finishing her second year as the Vice-President of the Southeastern Region and looks forward to continuing to serve Psi Chi in any way possible.